Important Conversations
For a few years, RSGC has been running interactive consent workshops for boys in Grades 9 and 10. The workshops, delivered with Canvas, an arts-based organization that works with students to develop programming about sexuality and consent, have recently been run for boys in Grades 11 and 12 to ensure that no boys graduate without having gone through the exercise.
In the 2.5-hour workshops, students examined rape culture, sexual pressures, gender norms and the effects of alcohol and drug use on consent and open communication. The workshops also focused on communication and interpersonal relationships, and cultivating a culture of consent in schools and personal lives.
Head of Senior School Paul O’Leary knows it’s an important conversation for the boys to have.
“It’s important for the boys to be approaching the relationships they’re developing in a healthy way,” said Paul. “Without these discussions, our young men are vulnerable to internalizing unhealthy ideas and beliefs about masculinity and femininity.”
RSGC Social Worker Andrea Kaye says that the issue of consent has taken on new meanings in the post-MeToo world, making these workshops that much more important.
“Consent workshops explore the larger societal context and also give boys practical skills to deal with what are often normal but awkward circumstances,” she said. “The boys are grateful for the candid workshops that have allowed them to think about issues that are very current and relevant to their everyday experiences.”
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Royal St. George's College is an independent school for boys located in The Annex neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school admits boys from Grades 3 through 12. Our mission is to challenge and inspire each of our students to become the best version of himself.